


Emma And The Apocalypse

by superstarlimo



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid, Hatchetfield Horrors, Nightmare Time - Team StarKid, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: ANYWAYS i hate nick lang for makin pokey /j /j, EDIT: these tags r gonna change so much im soooo un, F/M, How Do I Tag This, M/M, Mind Control, Other, Physical Abuse, i dont know what im doign ive never used ao3 KFNFDKSFA, i think i should be tagging this as body horror, it never gets tooooo intense with the whole mask n cracking body thing but, never be too careful, only cause i had so much queen looOOORE, so theres some tws for emotional manipulation, uhh more tags n characters will b updated if i can figure out how, unwhat its called ed when u dont like to stik to one idea, we got some found family shit thatll b nice!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:14:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27454816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superstarlimo/pseuds/superstarlimo
Summary: Emma Perkins, former college student and crabby barista, has been left to wander the remains of human civilization all on her own. The aftermath of the meteor destroyed any chance she had of a life she finally thought was worth living. But now, it's just her and a planet of singing zombie motherfuckers.But when she meets a strange creature by the name of T'noy Karaxis, The Lord in Black, he asks her for nothing but 'a special doll' in exchange for helping her save her world, and quite possibly, every world that ever has or will exist.The fate of the multiverse is in Emma's hands, as she must traverse through a realm of monsters and men and determine the fate of everyone that will ever be. And even with the help of a few unlikely friends, it will still be a race against the clock to get her life back!
Relationships: OC/OC, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins, Wilbur Cross/Barker
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	1. Prologue

_ The goat stares down at the yellow box he plays with in his hands. The spider is behind him, bending down to see into the box for herself. Together they continue their seemingly fruitless search. _

_ This world... _ **_His_ ** _ world is near completion. From the youngest girl to the oldest gentleman, the 'humans' were singing and dancing in the streets, the dirt, the fields, the mountains, everywhere their feet could reach the ground and then some.  _

_ He continues twisting and turning the box, searching for a single soul left untouched by the euphonic epidemic. The faces of dozens, hundreds, millions of "happy" souls staring through him on the little squares making up the plaything. Their stretched mouths, dripping with the blood of a creature they couldn't begin to comprehend, even as he puppeteers their corpses around like simple playthings.  _

_ He knows he shouldn't be so worried. He's seen countless worlds of suffering humans for his siblings enjoyment. He's made a few of them too.  _

_ But this was different. These people aren't suffering. At least, they don't think they are. Their minds are so warped they think this is living. Their faces are so worn out from smiling, but they can't let up. No, of course they can't. The show must go on. _

_...Not if they have anything to say about it.  _

_ The spider sits down with him, her glittery dress shimmering in the light the box gives off. She places a hand on her brother's shoulder. She gives it a light squeeze to catch his attention. He only shifts one eye to look at her, the other still hard focused on the cube. It always makes her uncomfortable when he does that.  _

_ "This search might be in vain, dear brother." Her voice is soft, rife with desperate comfort but prevalent sorrow. He wants to think her wrong, but he's starting to believe it himself. He can feel it deep in his core, more and more humans succumbing to the virus. Like bullets being shot into his head, the knowledge that this might be the end of them beats at him.  _

_ The end of the humans? ...Sure, let's go with that for now. _

_ He stops turning, clutching the cube hard in his hands, feeling quick to smash it in annoyance and bitterness. He stands, furious and ready to chuck the thing down hard onto the floor when something catches his eye. Then the other.  _

_ One face stands out among the others. A woman stands alone, gun clutched in shaking hands as she wipes away tears and runny mascara from her face. Someone's talking to her. She cries more. She's untouched. Not only that. She's an Emma. _

_ An extremely important Emma. _


	2. Hidden In The Sand

**_So sing while you hear it, don't deny it_ **

**_Leave if you can't stand the thought of it_ **

**_Come back again to make things stand_ **

**_With no disrespect to the &_ **

  
  
  


The pungent reek of blue slime filled Emma Perkins' nose, something that once filled her with dread but now was nothing more than a slight annoyance. The stuff covered every last bit of the town, she had to believe they were just painting the place blue for fun at this point. Bellview wasn't the safest of places to be passing through, but much better than similar areas she'd trekked through recently. 

Bellview, to the last known stragglers, was something of a truck stop in the hellworld they were forced to call reality. The place was mostly a ghost town as most all the creatures had moved onto more populated cities. Shops and convenience stores were completely busted open and the remaining people, wherever they were, had a bit of an unspoken truce with one another. Only take the bare essentials, cans of food and fresh water, hygiene products if necessary and boxes and boxes of bullets. 

Emma had to appreciate the little bit of humanity left. There was a sign on the counter of the busted-into CVS reading "Welcome! We're either dead or at lunch! Please take only what you need! - Management" with a little smiley face on the bottom. She had to wonder how even in such a state the world was in someone could make something as simple as a sign so sweet. 

She followed the rule, grabbing a few boxes of protein bars, extra lady essentials, and a flashlight and stuffing them into her scuffed up backpack. She found a quiet room in the back, the one that smelt the best, which at this point meant any place that didn't smell like a mausoleum, and sat down, back firm against the wall of an employee's lounge, as she rubbed her temples, taking deep breaths. Her feet were killing her, her bad leg throbbing in pain she was learning to push past on her own. 

She stared down at the endless cuts, new and old, and bruises adorning both legs. A particular bit being where a pole was jammed into her thigh. It had mostly healed by now but made a big pink on her skin, looking like a crater in her own body. 

The sight of it brought back memories, memories of  _ Hatchetfield _ . Her heart racing a mile a minute as the helicopter crashed to the ground. Debris stabbing through her thigh, blocking what was sure to be a geyser of crimson pouring out of it. 

Shaky, skinny arms holding her up, gripping her sweaty hands with an intensity only lovers could feel. Bruised and cut up lips so close to pressing together, the warmth of being together blocking out an entire doomed species just a few steps away. 

The memory burned within Emma, the memory of a man who didn't exist anymore. At least, not in the real way.

She didn't know how long it had been now. The days seemed to blend together as her sense of time just dissipated completely. The calendar on the wall was turned to October, but the year was nowhere to be found. The picture above was a double rainbow overlooking a broad, gorgeous green meadow. Circles and notes were scribbled over the dates in purple sharpie; a few birthdays, in store Halloween party,

...Alexis Schmidt was having a baby on the 25th. 

The implication of a baby having to endure all this in what could be ages ago frightened her more than the prospect of one of those things just outside the store right now. To think someone with bright eyes and a new soul was just stolen from the world and their life like that...it wasn't something she wanted to dwell on.

_ God, how did it get to this? _ She thought, taking a long sigh. Of course, she knew how it came to this, in a literal sense. She watched the end of the world as it took it's slow ass time, and now she was left to move from town to town, looking for no place in particular. The whole world had gone to shit so, really what was there to do? Not even the waffle houses were open. 

For right now, she was starting to feel there was only one thing to do; sleep. She wasn't really that tired; her nap in an alley dumpster only a few hours ago took care of that. But something about this moment, this quiet stillness in the air, the only sound being the ticking of an out of view clock, it was enough to get her eyes to betray her. 

It occurred to her she hadn't yet locked the door, but she couldn't bear to get up and do so as her body felt heavy. It'd be just her luck that the town empty of all but a few singing zombie motherfuckers, they'd swarm to her, but she couldn't help herself. The ticking of the clock grew louder in her ears, yet wasn't distracting as she started drifting down into slumber. If anything it was comfortable, having a companion with her. A clock was a companion now? God, she was going insane.

She got into a sleeping position on the floor, using her arms as a pillow. The stained, crusty carpet felt so soft somehow, letting her simply drift into easy sleep. She couldn't imagine feeling better than now. 

She _ was _ sure she had to imagine the click of the door locking...right? 

  
  
  


Emma woke with a start, shooting up from her nap like she had a nightmare. She was met with her own reflection against a shiny, golden yellow floor under her. She pushed herself off the glossy finish, only to be met with even more of a surprise. She was at the very edge of a cliff of some sort, not like any cliff she had seen, this was a perfect ninety degree angle, like some kind of cube.

In front of her stood the opening to some kind of metallic maze, a deeper color of yellow than the floor. The whole world were rich shades of yellow; amber colored sky and soft, corn hued clouds. She could hear from the inside gears turning, and blonde steam wheezing from unseen pipes. Softer, yet all the more frightening were screams of terror ranging from children's whines to elderly people's cries. 

Before she could scream out for help, a voice boomed from the heavens. 

**"Welcome, Toy Soldier!"**

A very... _ goofy voice.  _


	3. Sacred Beast

_ Our mission is to slay the sacred beast _

_ Who has come to claim our innocence at least _

  
  


**"Welcome, Toy Soldier!"** The voice repeated, as if waiting for a response. Emma looked around, thinking maybe it's talking to someone out of view. All she sees is the maze and the sky, an unending sea of yellow. She stares up at the sky, frightened and confused. 

"Uh- uhm, hi?" She inched forward, just a bit so she's not so close to the cliff(?). "Are you...talking to me, whoever you are?" Her hand began to inch down to her pocket where her army knife hid. She wasn't sure if and how'd she'd use it; batting at the air with a knife seemed particularly unsafe and really stupid looking for anyone who could be watching. Still, it was better to be prepared.

**"Of course I am, Emmy!"** OH GREAT, the thing knew her name. 

"Alriiiight, voice in the sky, can you tell me what the hell's going on here?" She gripped the scuffed knife ready to pull it out any second.

**"You're in my realm, Soldier!"** The way he talked made it sound like she was supposed to have known all this.  _ Sorry _ , she wasn't given a pamphlet, sir.  **"And we're gonna play a little!..."**

There was a silence in the air followed by a long sigh from the unseen voice.

"Alright, I can't keep up this stupid gag, Miss. Perkins." The voice was suddenly firm, scratched with obvious years of burden. "This is serious, Emma. We need your help." 

She couldn't help but laugh out of sheer nervousness than anything, but it came out a little harder than she meant, like a dying hyena. "Um...excuse me, what?!" After the last few months, she couldn't believe things could have gotten any weirder. Maybe this wasn't top of the list yet but…

"You'll have to excuse me. We can't manifest into your realm of perception when you're so close to the edge." Okay. Just ignore her question, sure. 

"Okay," Emma said, forcefully, "stop. I've had enough vague bullshit for one apocalypse. Who the fuck are you?" She took a few steps closer to the metal structure, the smell of rust and rot emanating from inside. She clutched the knife in her palm, ready to strike at. Whatever this guy is. 

"I hold many names in this life, but you may call me...Tinky" 

...All that buildup for that? It made Emma chuckle, still trying to let out the anxiety building in her. 

"What, are the other teletubbies around the corner?"

"I'm being  _ very _ serious, Miss Perkins." The stranger's voice grew firm and deep. This was clearly no laughing matter. To him anyways. Emma's world was already destroyed so she didn't know what on Earth this guy was on about. She rolled her eyes and motioned her hand for him to continue. 

"Before you is the entrance to our world...the world belonging to my siblings and I." A light pulsed from inside the maze's opening, seemingly beckoning her from the inside, like arms outstretching to pull her in. "The Black and White."

She didn't know why, but that name sent a shiver down her spine. It sounded so juvenile to be so scary, but it frightened her.

"In normal circumstances, you would have to traverse to the end of the maze...a fruitless task. But we're running out of time, Soldier." The metal panels began to shift and slide around, morphing into a long hallway of sorts. As the structure reformatted itself, she swore she could hear screaming from inside. "You must enter now and find the artifact."

She tapped her feet impatiently, still nervous but if this guy was gonna kill her could he stop being so cryptic about it? "Artifact? Dude, you gotta be specific. What are we talkin' about, a crystal or a magic book or-"

"A Doll."

...Wait, what?

"You couldn't have said that an HOUR ago? Fuck, you didn't even need to drag me HERE for that, there was a busted up toy store in town; I could've been back in the time it took you to quit yacking-"

**_"THE DOLL OF WHICH I SPEAK IS NOT SOMETHING YOU'LL FIND SO EASILY."_** Tinky's booming, angered voice shook the cube under her, enough to make her fall over. Her knife slipped from out of her hand and spun off the edge. She crawled over to see it fall down into the deep, black void under her. 

She didn't hear it hit the ground.

The being huffed. "Sorry...I shouldn't let my anger get the better of me, not to those who don't deserve it, anyways."

"No, no. It's uh- it's all good!" Emma said, pushing herself off the ground. Of course it wasn't all good, they both knew that. But what good would fighting do if she couldn't even fight back? 

"Okay so, what...doll...am I trying to find, uh, sir? Should I call you that or-"

"You will know when you see it. I've arranged guides to help you find your way to it." 

A cloud of glittery golden smoke appeared in front of her, the translucent figures of two men standing in it. One, tall and slender, sporting a jean jacket and slicked back hair. The other, shorter, with a carnival barker's getup and eyes that seemed to stare through her. "As you traverse the lands of my siblings, they will find you and guide you to your goal."

The cloud vanished, leaving only specks of glitter that danced around in the air. Emma looked beyond them, into the endless hallway ahead of her. Beyond the light that glowed? She could see no exit, no semblance of any way to get out. Was this all an elaborate joke by yet another other-worldly figure wanting nothing but a laugh at her misery? She wouldn't be surprised. But this one was putting a  _ lot _ of effort into a prank. 

Really,  _ what did _ she have to lose at this point?

"Alright...Tinky, let's...find a doll." She tried to smile, confused and tense beyond belief. She walked up to the entrance, placing a hand on the metal structure. Her palm felt warm, a tickle running through her body. She awaited any further input the stranger wanted to give her, but there came nothing.

Closing her eyes so she wouldn't burn them to a crisp, she walked into the light.

_ "Good luck, solder." _


	4. Mamma Told Me

[I believe, I believe in conversation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0yjqOIiBE)   
[In good communicating](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0yjqOIiBE)   
[And I believe in letter-writing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0yjqOIiBE)   
[But now all I write are melodies (melodies)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0yjqOIiBE)   
[Simple, sweet, and simply haunt me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0yjqOIiBE)   
[Little rhythms that scold and hold me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0yjqOIiBE)   
[Only cause I know they are lonely](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0yjqOIiBE)   
[Mamma told me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0yjqOIiBE)

Relatively speaking, the hallway was very small, but as she walked through it, Emma felt her body cycle through millions, billions of lives, and she didn't know if that made any sense. She didn't know what "sense" was here. Her bones were frail and cracking in her skin, then hard as a rock not a second later. The blinding light made her arms vaguely translucent, and she could see something else dug deep into her scarred flesh. Staring at it hurt her eyes. 

She could feel the pain in her leg subside and flare up immensely in simple seconds. Her arms were scalding hot in such a pleasurable way that all she could do was dig her fingernails into her palms and clench her teeth so hard she thought they might shatter in her skull.

Her skin was warm, basking gracefully in the light. It reminded her of the summers she would spend at the lake with her sister when they were young. The memory burned itself into her mind, the familiar feeling infecting her better judgement and wanting her to slow down. Something pushed her though, like the light wanted her out as quickly as possible. 

Finally she reached the end, the unseen force pushing her off her balance and she fell onto her knees. The ground under her was sticky and wet, like that of a spider's web, which made her immediately uncomfortable. All pain had subsided, besides the small bit in her knees where she fell. When she looked behind her, the structure was gone, leaving only an inky black void. Her eyes darted around her, hoping for any semblance of another person or being or...anything. Panic rose and fell as quick as it bloomed in her. Panicking doesn't get anyone anywhere, Emma. Just breathe, Emma. 

She picked herself off the ground, wiping her dewey hands on her torn jeans and letting out a comforting sigh. These so-called "guides" were nowhere in sight. Tinky had said that she'd need to traverse the "lands" to find them, but how far was she going to travel to find them? What lied in front of her was an endless cavern of raven black and a questionable substance littering the floor. How long would it take to get there? Surely it had to be walking distance; did they  _ have  _ cars here? Wherever it might be, might as well get a start now, she thought.

As she walked, she couldn't get used to the gross stickiness under her feet. It was like an entire crosswalk smothered in chewed up gum wads sticking to her shoes, except this felt worse somehow because at least you could scrape gum off. This was just how the floor was BUILT. It squished and squelched beneath her; the noise was incessant and utterly grotesque with how much it echoed around her. 

"Hello?" She called out, the only response was her own voice reverberating off the unseen walls. The isolation of it all crept up on her, yet she tried to shake it off. It was a hard feat, however. Walking to an unknown destination thanks to some weird voice in the sky to find more weirdos and a doll she doesn't know about. How on earth did this thing possibly expect her to-

_ "FUCK-"  _

Her internal thoughts were halted as her whole body slammed into some...wall? It was cold yet slightly fuzzy, like a doormat or soft velcro. She rubbed her head as she readjusted herself, but she was quick to shut her eyes as all of the sudden an array of LED lights above her turned on. The light nearly blinded her vision, making her take another second to steady herself before continuing. She had her hands out since if she was being honest, she thought she was gonna walk into the wall again. 

As her eyes readied to the light, she got a good view of the new room. A 60's-looking office space surrounded her, all black and white and pristinely cleansed from top to bottom. Milky walls almost as bright as the overhead lights, jet black swivel chairs and desks with typewriters clacking away, but being used by no one visible, nor was any paper registered in a single one. The wall, which she realized was one outside flat of a cubicle was so dark that it looked like it was absorbing all light around it, but she could vaguely make out billions of trillions of stars if she didn't focus directly on it. 

The cubicles were all lined up in a long room she looked back on and realized she walked a good amount. Behind her sat what had to be hundreds of identical squares, clacking typewriters and invisible typers typing nothing, all perfectly in sync making quite a pleasant rhythm she could find herself getting lost in. Separating the two columns of unseen workers and their harmony was a long black carpet leading to one almost comically very large and narrow door that she knew she wasn't gonna fit through without some finagling. 

The doorknob when she touched it was like a welcoming handshake by the mysterious boss of such an establishment. When she pressed her ear to the door she could hear feminine grunts and very unharmonious tick-tacking of keys. Whoever was behind the door, Emma felt their pain IMMENSELY. There was a very specific tone those grunts, sighs and "SHOOT!"'s signaled: this person HATED their fucking job.

She gave a polite three-time knock, half hoping she wasn't being a disturbance but also she was kiiinda in a hurry here, sooo…

A series of noises followed, shuffling papers, something that sounded very expensive falling and breaking and a word she didn't know the language of but definitely translated out to roughly mean "Son of a bitch!". The doorknob jiggled a bit before stopping, followed by an "Uh...give me a second,". A white light shown from the bottom of the door, and FINALLY the door opened. 

What Emma saw in front of her was...definitely up there with the weirdest shit she's seen in a while.

A woman with silky white hair and fair skin sat behind a long black desk, with more desks haphazardly strewn about, all with black typewriters with paper that never seemed to end, snaking about the room and bunches shoved off in the corners. Taking a glance at them, Emma saw dates for all sorts of things. Historical events she recognized and some that couldn't begin to make sense. 

The woman herself was quite an oddity. She was quite a large woman, in both weight and height, looking about a normal plus sized human, no bigger than Emma in that department, but she had to hunch over a considerable amount just for one pair of her arms to reach two of the note-making machines. Yes, pair, because this woman had, as Emma counted, four different sets of arms, all typing away at different machines around the room, each adorned with expertly inked tattoos with creatures and beings behind her comprehension and more words Emma couldn't even begin to pronounce. She had six eyes, four focused on her work and two that stared directly at Emma. They were starry night black, easy to get lost in. She was simply gorgeous, even with all her strangeness. 

"Apologies for the mess, Emelia," her young voice complimented her strangely well, despite the slight wrinkles and smile lines adorning her features. Emma was taken a bit aback by her using her full name, blushing a bit in response. "I thought I'd have more time to clean, but you got here quicker than I thought." She laughed but it was easy to tell the woman was nervous and very tired. 

One arm, the closest to Emma, turned itself to shake her hand, to which she nervously returned the gesture. Her palms were so soft and young but the handshake was so firm and stiff. "Uh, sorry! Voice in the sky sounded urgent, Miss...uh.." Emma's voice was shakier than she meant to be, she didn't want to be freaked out by this woman's inhumanness and granted, she'd seen worse, but something about her just startled Emma to no end. 

"T'noy really didn't greet you himself? Well, better he didn't. You'd be shaking more so if you'd seen him up close!" She laughed, then stopped herself suddenly, "That's not funny."

The room was silent, save for the clicking, which Emma noticed she had never even slowed down while talking with her. The woman stared right at her some more before closing the pair of eyes she had used for that, shut so tightly Emma could see the dark rings around them.

"My name is Webby! I run...everything! All there's gonna be, all there was, uhhh…" She seemed to slow down again then jump back up in her seat. "I write the world- worlds!" Sweat beat down the lady's face and her eyes twitched. Did she need sleep? Because she sure as hell wasn't getting it. 

"Uh...ma'am, are you-"

"ANYWAYS!" Her voice boomed like Tinky's had, making Emma's heart stop in its tracks for a second. "We're here to talk about you and your quest, right?"

"Uh, yeah, r-right, I- WOAH-" Emma was cut off by a swivel chair materializing and sweeping her off her feet, forcibly sitting her and pushing her to the front of the lady's desk, making her look straight up at Webby and her perfectly imperfect face.

"So! You excited?" All of the sudden she sounded like a soccer mom before her kid's big game and less like a author of the fucking universe. Her eyes twitched some more. Emma tried not to look right at her. 

"Not...really? I get shoved on a quest for who knows what, I don't know some fucking  _ doll _ , and...uh…" Emma slowed down her rant. Webby's eyes caught her attention again, twitching incessantly like she was about to shatter. She looked like a Victoria's Secret model needed her fix and lots of it. 

Her bright smile opened up more to an array of fangs, and Emma could just feel she wasn't trying to be menacing, yet was trying to pay attention. She seemed like she hadn't had a break in just short of forever and was trying to keep up some appearances. 

"Go on! Go on, I'm listening!" Her mouth was outstretched to an absurdly terrifying degree like some mind morphed Disney Cast Member. 

"Uhm...We...Miss. Webby? Can you...not do that, please?" Emma tried to cut through her charade. "Look I know work can fuck with you but I'm basically a prisoner of war here, you don't have to keep up the minimum wage worker smile with me."

The woman finally sighed and let her cheeks rest, her arms typing just a tad bit slower but the paper coming out the same speed as ever. She rested back into her big chair and stared at the ceiling. A spider's web was spun atop it, in six different colors; white, yellow, purple, green, pink and blue. She looked long and hard at it, like a moth attracted to the flame it transfixed her.

"I'm sorry, Emelia. I must come across as odd, don't I? I promise I'm not normally like this! Things have just been…hectic." She didn't look at her as she talked, but Emma could still feel her eyes on her, but this time it wasn't as creepy. 

"Uh, hey, I mean it's alright. I know how you feel. Shit where I come from isn't much better." Emma tried to make light of the situation. It wasn't funny. "At least you don't gotta hear singing and dancing and pray to God that you can get across a Denny's parking lot unscathed."

"Mhm." Webby's reply sounded distant, like she knew something she wasn't letting on. "I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Wait, what-"

Webby sat up in her chair again, cracking her back which alone was a foot taller than Emma, and looking at her with kind, tired eyes. "I have something for you, Emelia." 

Another light shown from behind Emma and when she turned around, a simple coat rack stood before her. Well, a coat rack wasn't complete without a coat. And this one, brown with the smell of fancy cologne, was tailored exactly to her size which wasn't creepy in the  _ slightest. _

Along with the coat came a black fedora, to which she immediately was iffy about, a dove-white dress shirt, jet black pants and suspenders, and black dress shoes. She couldn't even walk up to them to feel the material before they were suddenly on her, like blink and boom, and her previous torn apocalypse clothes were up on the rack. She felt around her body and the outfit. The coat was most assuredly real leather, and in the bottom left pocket she felt something heavy. 

"Do you like it? Tailored just for you! I've left you a surprise that will help you on your way, but I'm afraid you can only use it once."

Emma turned around to give Webby her thank yous, followed by "So, when do I use it?"

"Oh, you'll know, Emelia. Trust me." Her smile had returned but it looked more genuine. 

"Is that gonna be a recurring theme here? Me just guessing my objectives?" 'Emelia' said sarcastically. 

"Pretty much, yeah!" Webby laughed again, this time it was funny. "Now, walk out that door and find our doll." Her smile was so big you could see her fangs again, though this time Emma wasn't about to shit herself so she felt more at ease. 

Emma sighed, thanked her again, tipping her hat this time and chuckling, and started on her way out. 

"Oh!" Webby called before she touched the doorknob, "I forgot to tell you something." She giggled. 

But it wasn't funny.

An uneasy feeling flooded the room as Webby's smile faded and she looked at Emma solemnly. **_"Emelia, you cannot change the course of someone else's show, no matter how much you wish for it, but you can always rewrite your own symphony. Do not let your fear consume you, lest you wash away into the audience for an eternity. And most of all, above all else, love your ensemble like you love your own kin. This much will lead you to victory. We love you, goodnight."_**

And with that the door swung open behind her, a gust of wind pulling her out of the office and sweeping her out into a cold black void. She screamed in confusion, drowned out by the rushing air. But she could still hear Webby's jubilant voice call out "Good luck!"

And she would sure need it. 


End file.
